Texas

Harris County to vote on means for labor groups to represent employees for salary, policy talks

Published

2 hours ago

March 17, 2026

Harris County to vote on means for labor groups to represent employees for salary, policy talks

Harris County commissioners will vote Thursday on whether to formalize a process allowing labor organizations to advocate for higher salaries and discuss workplace policies and grievances for county employees.

If passed, the policy would be the first of its kind for a Texas county. Some Texas cities and school districts have adopted similar policies, including the city of Austin and Houston’s school district — represented respectively by the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees, and the Houston Federation of Teachers.

It would allow county employees to be represented by a labor union of their choosing, but would give county commissioners the final say over all personnel policies and salaries.

Nearly 20,000 people work for the county, making it the sixth-biggest employer in Harris last year.

“It gives them a voice to advocate for good jobs, wages and benefits, working conditions and other needs so that they can enjoy life and dignity,” said Commissioner Rodney Ellis, who proposed the policy to the five-member commissioners court, which includes County Judge Lina Hidalgo.

State law prohibits public employees from collectively bargaining for contracts or going on strike, but does not keep them from being represented by labor organizations. Ellis said his proposal creates a communication process for a labor organization to discuss such issues with county representatives.

“This policy just gives workers a true voice, a real seat at the table,” he said.

Local police and firefighter departments in Texas are allowed to unionize and collectively bargain. Both departments in Houston have recently celebrated big wins: The Houston Police Officers’ Union last year secured a nearly 37% salary increase for police officers, and a year before, the Houston Fire Department negotiated a $1.5 billion settlement and labor contract for firefighters.

County employees would not be required to join the labor organization, but those who do would vote on which association would represent them. An association would need at least 50% of employee support to be chosen outright. If none receive half the vote, associations receiving at least 20% of employee votes would advance to a runoff.

Harris County, with nearly 5 million residents, is the third most populous county in the country, and Ellis said he hopes other Texas counties will adopt similar policies.

“Harris County workers keep the county running,” said Ellis, whose precinct includes both of Houston’s airports, along with several sports stadiums and universities. “They fix the roads, keep our parks clean and safe. They respond during emergencies. They make sure government works. They are the essential cog that keeps the third-largest county in the country operating.”

Commissioner Lesley Briones said she plans to vote in favor of the policy.

“It is a win for our employees and for our community,” Briones said. “By empowering workers’ voices and creating a pathway for employee-centered input, we build trust, strengthen our organization, and deliver better results for the Harris County families we serve.”

Ellis said if commissioners approve the initiative, among the first concerns he expects employees to bring up include salaries and the county’s remote working policy, which currently allows employees to work outside of the office but does not guarantee the option.

Ellis said he’s hopeful he will have the support of the rest of the commissioners court, but Commissioner Tom Ramsey told Fox 26 last week that he’s skeptical of the idea.

“We have many issues to focus on in Harris County, we don’t need the distraction of trying to set up a union,” said Ramsey, the court’s lone Republican.

Ellis reiterated that his proposal doesn’t establish a union.

“It professionalizes employees’ (process) to have to be informed of their ability to receive representation before grievance disciplinary meetings,” he said. “This does not allow for collective bargaining.”

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Longhorns Daily News: Texas baseball sticks at No. 2, per D1Baseball poll

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14 hours ago

March 17, 2026

Press Room

Longhorns Daily News: Texas baseball sticks at No. 2, per D1Baseball poll

Texas baseball dropped a game to a conference opponent this week and went 3-1 overall but still managed to stay at No. 2 nationally in the latest D1Baseball poll.

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What Jonah Williams’ season-ending surgery means for Texas

Published

1 day ago

March 16, 2026

Press Room

What Jonah Williams’ season-ending surgery means for Texas

For the second straight year, the ceiling for a Texas Longhorns baseball team off to a hot start is limited by a key injury in the outfield.

Last year, the loss of slugger Max Belyeu and the persistent injuries suffered by Jonah Williams left head coach Jim Schlossnagle’s team thin in the outfield.

This year, the news that Williams is undergoing season-ending shoulder surgery, combined with the shoulder injury of catcher Presley Courville sustained going through outfield drills, has left the Longhorns without ideal depth after the staff’s plans to bolster the outfield through the transfer portal suffered significant blows when commits Jack Moroknek and Kaleb Freeman signed professional contracts after the 2025 MLB Draft.

So where will Schlossnagle turn with Williams out for the season?

The long-term loss of Williams and the shorter-term loss of Courville impact more than just the outfield — those injuries also take away two options at designated hitter, where the Longhorns are in the unusual position of using that player at the bottom of the lineup, a commentary on the team’s depth situation.

In the outfield, the good news for Texas is the incredible start to season from freshman Anthony Pack Jr., who has gained almost 30 pounds of muscle since arriving on the Forty Acres, allowing his natural confidence to match up with his ability to execute in the batter’s box.

Benefiting from a swing refined by assistant coach Troy Tulowitzki, Pack has shown off unexpected power in hitting four home runs in 19 games, including a walk-off grand slam against USC Upstate. He’s also been able to use a mature whole-field approach to handle fastballs and off-speed pitches, ranking second on the team in batting average at .354 and leading the team in on-base percentage at .489.

A left-handed hitter, Pack’s bat-to-ball skills have helped him keep his strikeout rate under 17 percent and his ability to command the strike zone have allowed the California product to produce more walks than strikeouts. And he’s dangerous enough covering the plate that he’s been hit by a team-leading four pitches as opposing hurlers have struggled to find ways to get him out.

Without the remarkable start from the kid called Pack-Man, the Longhorns would be in the much worse position of needing to address two outfield spots in addition to designated hitter. Instead, calling Pack a potential future star at Texas would negate his credible argument that he’s already a star with his current level of play.

Pack switches between left and right field depending on the other outfield spot, which has developed into a platoon between senior Jayden Duplantier, who has the arm and speed to play right field, and junior Ashton Larson, who is limited to left field.

Duplantier is the right-handed batter with historic positional versatility for the Longhorns who was thrust into extended action for the first time last season and struggled, batting .166 in 30 games, including 10 starts. The Houston product did manage to post a .345 on-base percentage by drawing some speeds and impacting defense’s with his speed, but he also had a strikeout rate of almost 35 percent, looking especially overmatched against SEC pitchers in batting .125 in conference play.

This year, however, Duplantier has improved at the plate in 18 games, including four starts, as Schlossnagle and his staff have limited his at bats against right-handed pitchers, helping him hit .333 with a .441 on-base percentage. There still isn’t much power in Duplantier’s bat with only one double among his nine hits, but the start for Duplantier is far from the worst-case scenario established in 2025.

A 6’2, 210-pounder from Overland Park (Kan.) St. Thomas Aquinas, Larson was the No. 78 overall prospect and No. 13 outfielder in the 2023 recruiting class, according to Perfect Game. Selected in the 20th round of that year’s MLB Draft by the Minnesota Twins, Larson opted to honor his commitment to the Tigers.

In conference play, Larson was particularly good, batting a team-best .337 (28-for-83) in SEC regular-season games with eight doubles, three home runs, 10 RBI, and 16 runs. But injuries derailed Larson as a sophomore as he battled for playing time in a crowded outfield, receiving only five starts and hitting .256 in 39 at bats with a strikeout rate of 35.9 percent.

The torn quadriceps suffered by Larson has limited his athleticism, and he’s not exactly a slugging corner outfielder, but he is slashing .344/.463/.531 with three doubles and a home run. Like Duplantier, the left-handed hitting Larson benefits from favorable matchups against right-handed pitchers.

When Courville is able to return from his shoulder injury, he’ll factor in at designated hitter and could play in the outfield as well with fellow freshman Maddox Monsour currently serving as the fourth outfielder, typically in pinch-hitting or pinch-running opportunities. In a limited sample size, Monsour has been good at the plate, batting .429 with a triple and four RBI — high-level bat speed and a short swing should help the 5’11, 205-pounder become an effective college hitter over a larger number of at bats, but Monsour is unlikely to receive that many opportunities this year without further injuries.

As Texas tries to navigate the crucible of SEC play, the outfield looms as the team’s biggest potential weakness, one that Schlossnagle and his staff will have to manage for another season in hopes of achieving a higher ceiling and floor with the team’s 2027 outfield.

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Unbeaten UConn joined by Texas, UCLA and South Carolina as No. 1 seeds for women’s NCAA Tournament

Published

2 days ago

March 16, 2026

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Unbeaten UConn joined by Texas, UCLA and South Carolina as No. 1 seeds for women’s NCAA Tournament

UConn was awarded the No. 1 overall seed in the women’s NCAA Tournament on Sunday and enters March Madness needing six more victories to complete the seventh undefeated season in school history.

The Huskies (34-0) are looking for their 13th national title and trying to become the first team to repeat as champion since the program won four in a row from 2013-16. UConn is joined by UCLA, Texas and South Carolina as the other No. 1 seeds.

UConn, which is led by stars Sarah Strong and Azzi Fudd, opens the tournament at home against 16th-seeded UTSA and will play in the Fort Worth Regional. If seeds hold, the Huskies could face No. 2 Vanderbilt, which is coached by former UConn great Shea Ralph. This is the 23rd time UConn has earned a No. 1 seed and first since 2021.

UCLA (31-1) was just behind the Huskies as the second overall seed in the tournament. The Bruins have won 25 straight games in dominant fashion after its lone loss against Texas on a neutral court.

“The debate was pretty close the whole time between the two teams,” said NCAA selection committee chair Amanda Braun. “Went to a committee vote, watched a lot of UCLA and UConn — the vote went to UConn. The observable component, the way we watched UConn win throughout the year. UCLA did a lot of winning as well. The committee felt the observable component gave UConn the edge.”

UCLA reached the Final Four last year before losing to UConn. Cori Close’s team ran through the Big Ten and has an experienced group led by center Lauren Betts looking to win the school’s first NCAA championship.

The Bruins will try to win the first women’s national championship for the Big Ten Conference since 1999. The Bruins are one of 12 Big Ten teams in the field. That matches the record they set last season for most teams in the tournament. The SEC has 10, the ACC nine and Big 12 eight.

Other tops teams in UCLA’s region are No. 2 LSU, No. 3 Duke and No. 4 Minnesota.

The Longhorns (31-3) earned the third No. 1 seed after winning the SEC Tournament title. They beat South Carolina in two of the three meetings this season. Texas will play in Fort Worth Regional 3. Other top teams in Texas’ region are No. 2 Michigan, No. 3 Louisville and No. 4 West Virginia.

The Gamecocks (31-3) are the No. 1 seed in the Sacramento Regional 4 and have been a No. 1 seed for six consecutive seasons. They will be joined by No. 2 Iowa, No. 3 TCU and No, 4 Oklahoma.

The College of Charleston won the Colonial Athletic Association to make the tournament field for the first time in school history. The Cougars are a 14-seed and are the lone first time entry in the field. Last season, there were six newcomers.

BYU, North Dakota State, Utah and Texas A&M were the first four teams left out of the field.

Financial compensation

For the second consecutive year, teams in the women’s tournament will be financially compensated, in a similar fashion to the men’s field, for each round they play. “Units” are what the NCAA calls its tally of wins, automatic qualifiers and at-large bids that determine how much conferences are paid. A unit is money paid to conferences when one of its teams appears in the NCAA Tournament.

This year, the NCAA is giving teams that reach the championship game and the one that wins the title extra units. That extra compensation was added to the overall pool and doesn’t decrease the overall value of the units.

Tournament sites

The top 16 seeds in the 68-team field will host first- and second-round games, with the regional rounds being played at two neutral sites for the fourth straight year. Fort Worth, Texas, will host half of the Sweet 16 and Sacramento, California, will host the other eight teams.

The Final Four will be played in Phoenix on April 3 and the championship game is two days later.

For the first time the NCAA revealed the 16 host schools a day early. It gave schools an extra day to sell tickets, broadcast partner ESPN a head start to move its equipment to the locations and the NCAA more time to get its marketing materials to sites.

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